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Homefront Wiki:Manual of Style
Disclaimer: This page is copied directly from the Medal of Honor wiki, and may have some discrepancies with the Homefront universe. While there are many editors on wikis from around the world, and different cultures and languages that editors may speak, different writing styles can cause confusion and problems, all of which stop information getting to the people who read the wiki. That is why a Manual of Style is created, to keep the way the wiki is written the same throughout. Article Layout Lead Section The lead section is the introduction, the "bait." The introduction of the article is what makes people read on, much like a blurb of a book. Unless an article is very short, it should start with an introductory lead section, before the first subheading. The lead should not be explicitly entitled Introduction or any equivalent header. The table of contents, if displayed, appears after the lead section and before the first subheading. The lead should be capable of standing alone as a concise overview of the article, establishing context, and explaining why the subject is interesting or notable. It should be between one or two paragraphs long, and should be written in a clear and accessible style so that the reader is encouraged to read the rest of the article. In addition, there should always be a wikipedia link within the lead paragraph. The introduction is not just a case of "The M1 Garand is a rifle featured in Medal of Honor." Such introductions give no historical context to the article, a subject that Medal of Honor takes very carefully. A model introduction would be something along the lines of: "The M1 Garand is a US-made rifle designed by John Garand. It was the first semi-automatic rifle to be selected as the standard issue weapon for any military army, and as such was much more effective than other nation's bolt-action rifles. It's .30-06 Springfield round delivers a powerful punch without compromising accuracy and effective range, while the 8-round en-bloc clip allows a user to reload quickly due to the unique clip ejection system used in the M1." All real-life information belongs in the intro. Beyond that, it is liable to be deleted or changed. Firearms terminology The correct firearms terminology should always be used, e.g. a magazine is used when the weapon has a detachable box magazine, such as on the Thompson SMG or the M16 Assault Rifle, while a clip is a set of loosely-bound cartridges, such as a Stripper clip or an en-bloc clip. For weapons such as shotguns or sniper rifles that have internal magazines should always be referred to as "the capacity of the internal magazine was..." or along similar lines. Section headings The section headings within an article should always be titled after the game that the section is talking about. This will most likely be the name of the game outlined in the section (e.g. Medal of Honor: European Assault or Medal of Honor (2010)), and a link to the game's page should also be used. Other sections such as a gallery or general trivia should be headed under the headings Pictures and Trivia. Map articles should have sections titles after each progressive area; IE for Helmand valley, there should be sections for each portion of the map. Section content The content of a particurlar section should always be on the subject of the section, i.e. no info on the M1 Garand in European Assault in the Pacific Assault section, unless a direct comparison is being made (e.g. the M1G in PA is less powerful than in EA, but is less accurate). At the end of a section, a relevant template (e.g. Template:MOHA Weapons in a Medal of Honor: Airborne section) should be used to provide easy links to other weapons in the game. Other templates, ones that cannot fit into a section, should be placed at the bottom of an article, preferably in descending order from the oldest game to the newest. Use of images Images make an article memorable and good looking. They can speak where words fail, and add an in-game reference for readers. At the same time, misplaced or untidy images can detract from an article. When choosing images, keep in mind placement, size, quality, and the appropriateness of the image to the section. Let images flow with the text instead of break it up. Try to keep images within a gallery or in an infobox if at all possible. Trivia sections Trivia is to be disallowed. If a glitch in the game is reported, something is found in the game code, etc, it can be listed under a "notes" heading. If a developer states openly, in a citable manner, that a weapon or level was originally different from its final version, it can be listed under a "behind the scenes" heading. Miscellania does not belong in articles. Galleries While images are good, sometimes a article can have too many images, and having such a number of inline (i.e. thumbnail images) images would detract from the readbility of the article, the use of a gallery section is encouraged. The gallery editor is the easiest way to make a gallery, but if a user needs to add a gallery and can't find the pictures on the gallery editor, then the following code will add a gallery into the page (replacing the example imagess with the required images of course). Gallery= Image:Example.jpg|Caption Image:Example.jpg|Caption Gallery sections should be placed at the bottom of a page, below the trivia, and will usually be the last thing that a reader reads before hitting a link off of a page. Other Quotes Quotes (segments of speech/writing in-game) are used to give an in-game referance to the article, and to also help set the context of the article. However, at maximum only two quotes per article should be used, and should be placed at the start of the article or a section that is relavent to the quote. External links Some pages, while having links to other articles within the wiki, may need to have an external link to give extra real life information that cannot be summarised in the article's introduction. A link to a relavent article Wikipedia/world.guns.ru should be placed in an external links section at the bottom Writing : “I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs” -- Stephen King We now come to the meat of an article: the words themselves. When you are editing wikis, you must be both academic and artistic. You have to be accurate, but you also have to be interesting. Neither one can dominate; you must skillfully balance both. Keep your writing concise. Don't use two words where one will do. Keeping your writing simple will make it easy to understand and easy to expand on. Use complete sentences whenever possible. When you write, use grammar as a toolbox: know the rules, but only break them on purpose. However, at the same time, do not use contractions in articles (words that are made by combining two words with an apostrophe, such as "don't" instead of "do not"). Check your spelling and grammar. Do not use 'u' in place of 'you' or '2' in place of 'to'. Write the way you would for a class paper or a newspaper article. Keep all of the topics you cover within the scope of the article. What that means is, you don't need to give a detailed history of humans on the page about Winston Churchill. Consider the article's title as your point of origin and write from that perspective. Make use of the wiki's ability to link to more detailed articles or external sources for more information. Write from an impersonal perspective.' Do not use "I." For example, do not write, "Hellscream was a fervent member of the Horde. He served both the Old and New Horde, As far as I know." Completely avoid drawing attention to the author (yourself). Do not use the impersonal "you," either, which refers to the reader or player. When writing tips, say "the player should" instead of "you should." Be bold. If you know something is wrong, correct it. If you think you could word something better, write it. If an article has a glaring deficiency, fill it. Even if your first attempt isn't golden, you can fix it later or someone else will come along and fix it for you. Don't be afraid to screw up. Maintain article neutrality. Avoid pointless adjectives that insert personal bias into an article and do not definitively say that something such as a weapon is relatively good or bad unless it can be statistically proven. Italicizing All game names must be italicized, as with any other work. Choice of Words Don't make up words. English is the world's most comprehensive language, there is bound to be a word to describe the writer's needs. Remember, no wikian is Shakespeare. If stuck, use the Wiktionary. Maintain good usage.' '''Try to use words that all wikians will understand rather than using rather localised terms or slang. For example, use "''confused" rather than "miffed," to help maintain formality and to make sure other users aren't "miffed" by strange terms. Generic Layouts These layouts are the model of what an article should look like, based upon its subject. Map article Intro Background Area one Area two Trivia Weapon/Vehicle Article Introduction Game1 Singleplayer Information Multiplayer Information Pictures Gallery Game 2 etc. Trivia Campaign Level Layout Introduction Synopsis Third person (the player, he/she) synopsis of mission Transcript See Level Name/Transcript Trivia Please note, the synopsis section of the article is the walkthrough section Map article Introduction Overview of map Information on map layout, such as terrain, cover, buildings, etc. Pictures Pictures of the map in any game mode Game mode 1 Information about map on game mode Game mode 2 etc. Trivia M